T-Bird (M-T&F) Set to Compete at 2026 NJCAA Indoor T&F Nationals
The Thunderbird men's track & field team travels to Topeka, Kan., March 6-7 for the 2026 NJCAA Indoor T&F Championships at the Sneed Indoor Athletic Facility.
The T-Birds last competed at Washburn University in 2023 when they won the NJCAA Men's Indoor T&F Championship for the first time in 43 years.
The Thunderbirds are No. 1 in the USTFCCCA Track & Field Men's Rating Index as they head into nationals.
NMJC has 26 athletes and three relay teams competing on Friday and Saturday.
The below times are adjusted for altitude and are not raw times. A tidbit for Thunderbirds fans to know is that NMJC is only able to enter three athletes per event. All-American status is for the top 8 finishers.
"Our T-Bird men are excited to compete at the NJCAA Indoor T&F Championships this weekend," NMJC men's track & field head coach Terry VanLaningham said. "They work hard nearly year-round for this meet! Each guy will fight for every point they can score. The team results simply reflect who collectively does this the best. On paper we are not supposed to win. However, we don't compete on paper so we will find out who can stay focused and fight for it in every event from beginning to end. Our staff believe in the men. It will be a weekend full of great efforts and results!"
We start in the multi with freshman Luiz Santos. He is the leader nationally in the heptathlon after registering a national record/school record of 5506 points earlier in the indoor season. The T-Birds expect big things from the multi athlete after All-American Jonathan Da Silva was knocked out of the field due to injury.
The men's track side is headlined by sophomore sprinter David Nyamufarira.
Nyamufarira is competing in the 60m and 200m this week in Topeka. The sophomore is the school record holder in the 60m with a time of 6.59 (6.57 raw). Nyamufarira won the 60m national title in 2025 with a time of 6.60. He currently enters nationals in first place for the 60m with a time of 6.63 this season. Nyamufarira is fifth in the 200m for JUCO after running a 21.08 season best. The Zimbabwean also earned All-American honors in the 200m with a 20.91 fourth-place finish in 2025.
There will be three white card entries from NMJC. The white card is essentially a wild card selection for an athlete who did not qualify for nationals, and each team receives three entries to use.
Freshman Carlos Brown ran a 6.65 in the 60m to come in ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA for the event. He will also receive the white card in the 200m.
Benjamin Nsiah is aiming to make the final of the 400m this year after running a 46.56 in the event earlier this year. The sophomore is ranked No. 5 in the NJCAA for the event.
Hurdler Girts Senkevics comes into nationals ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA for the 60mH after clocking a 7.93 in the Last Chance Qualifier.
Sprinter Samalie Farrington is ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA after running a 6.76 in the 60m.
Rayen Chiha will compete in the 800m at nationals. The freshman mid distance runner registered a 1:51.28 in the event to rank No. 13 in the NJCAA.
Killian LeBourhis is slated to run in the mile and the 3000m. He is ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA in the mile with a time of 4:10.36. The sophomore distance runner recorded an 8:29.83 in the 3000m to sit at No. 22 in JUCO.
Alexandre Fablet's only individual race of the meet will be the 3000m where he ran 8:24.21 to rank No. 15 in NJCAA.
Aaron Jerry will race in the 400m after qualifying with a time of 47.14 (NJCAA No. 16).
Distance runner Mohammed Mrahi is set to race in the 3000m after running an 8:25.79 (NJCAA No. 16).
Raheim Scott will race in the 400m this year after qualifying with a 47.30 which ranks No. 18 in the NJCAA. Scott placed seventh in the 600m final in 2025 with a time of 1:18.39.
Jehiel Smikle was the second qualifier in the 60mH for NMJC. The freshman ran an 8.17 in the event which is No. 20 for JUCO.
Elmehdi Bouchouata is the only entry into the 1000m for the T-Birds as ran a 2:28.01 to come in No. 21 in JUCO.
Romain Toth looks to repeat as an All-American this week in the 800m after coming into nationals ranked No. 23 in the event after running a 1:52.28 this season. Toth finished in fifth place in the 800m with a time of 1:51.29 in 2025.
Erwan Darrieulat will race in the 800m after qualifying with a 1:53.93 which is No. 41 in the NJCAA.
Adolf Kauba will race in the 600m for his second appearance at nationals. The Papua New Guinea native's time of 1:20.34 sits at No. 45 in JUCO.
Sophomore Johnathon Bai is the white card entry for NMJC in the 200m.
The field athletes are led by Bastien Cadeot who ranks No. 1 in the JUCO for the long jump.
Bastien Cadeot qualified in both the long jump and triple jump in his first year with the program. Cadeot leads the NJCAA in the long jump with a 7.76m leap. In the triple, Cadeot jumped 14.45m to rank himself No. 19 in the NJCAA.
Defending national champion Samuel Ospina vaulted 5.30m this year. The school-record clearance is ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA for the pole vault. Ospina won the pole vault national championship in 2025 with a clearance of 5.12m.
Samuel Puustinen is one of the top weight throwers in the field this week. The freshman threw 18.13m this year to rank No. 2 in junior college.
Jumper Pavashe Muzokomba comes into the national meet ranked No. 5 in junior college with a leap of 7.50m.
Javar Thomas is the T-Birds top triple jumper in the field as he is ranked No. 7 in JUCO with a leap of 14.98m. Thomas is also qualified in the long jump with a leap of 7.30m. The jump is ranked No. 12 in JUCO for the event.
Aaron McKenzie will represent NMJC in the high jump. The freshman leapt 2.04m to rank No. 12 in the NJCAA for the event.
Marc Delin, who is new to the weight throw, threw 15.86m to qualify and is ranked No. 16 in JUCO going into the national meet.
Raits Markus was white carded into the field in the weight throw.
The T-Birds will compete in three relays in Topeka. The members fluctuate so what is listed here may be different come race time.
Elmehdi Bouchouata, Johnathon Bai, Rayen Chiha, Killian LeBourhis and sub Alexandre Fablet are set to race in the distance medley relay. The squad ran a 10:05.16 in the event to rank No. 8 in the NJCAA.
The distance medley relay team finished in fifth place in 2025 with a school-record time of 10:03.01. Fablet is the only T-Bird from last year's squad, but he will be a sub this go round as of now.
Elmehdi Bouchouata, Rayen Chiha, Erwan Darrieulat, Romain Toth, and sub Adolf Kauba are slotted to race in the 4x800m. The quartet's composite time is 7:31.57 and ranks No. 6 in NJCAA for the event.
The mile relay squad of Johnathon Bai, Raheim Scott, Benjamin Nsiah, Aaron Jerry, and subs Adolf Kauba + David Nyamufarira are No. 6 in junior college with a 3:10.23 4x400m time.
Friday features six finals between pole vault, shot put, long jump, high jump, DMR, and the 5000m.
The meet on Day 1 will start with the heptathlon at 9:15 a.m. CST and end with the 1000m around 8 p.m. CST. Day 2 starts with the heptathlon at 9:30 a.m. CST and ends with the 4x400m relay around 4:30 p.m. CST.
For the live results/schedule click here and for the livestream of the events click here.
